MISSION

POVERTY AND EDUCATION

More than 400 million children around the world are living in extreme poverty. Poor living conditions lead to sub-par educational opportunities, which result in high student drop-out levels. Despite advances in the public school systems worldwide, 40% of youth remain illiterate and 30% of them do not graduate high school. This leads to a vicious cycle of social exclusion and poverty, which is usually passed on to the next generation.
Teacher motivation and competence is directly linked to working conditions and income levels. In poor and developing countries the underpayment of teachers is a common problem. Low investment often leads to poor quality, which causes student performance to suffer. This is especially true for schoolchildren who need extra support due to difficult family circumstances.

BREAKING THE CYCLE

Students need creative stimulation in the classroom and parental support at home. However, keeping children in school often requires “thinking outside the box” to inspire them in new and challenging ways and help them reach their full academic and creative potential, giving them a good start in life. All of this takes motivated, capable teachers and financial investments.

HOW?

The international network Teach For All works to improve education in 32 countries on 6 continents. Its teachers share the vision of ensuring every child has access to quality education, regardless of where they live and what the financial capabilities of their parents are. In order to achieve this, the organization attracts and prepares motivated recent university graduates and young professionals to work for a positive change in local schools and the education system as a whole.
In the 2013/2014 school year Teach For Bulgaria (TFB), part of the Teach For All network, had 70 teachers teaching basic subjects to more than 7,000 students in 43 schools throughout Bulgaria. During that time, the average test scores of their students increased by 20%. Some of the program’s students even went on to study at prestigious schools and universities in the country and abroad, which would not have happened without the intervention and dedication of the TFB staff.

Why are we telling you so much about this cause? Because we believe everything we do should be committed to a higher purpose and ours is helping supportteacherswhohavechosen to workinsmalltowns, remotevillagesandunderperforming schools. And we really want you to be proud of the shirt you bought from us because it’s worth a week of quality education to a kid that might not otherwise be able to get it. Your shirt is worth a small piece of future that we donate to the TeachForAllNetwork (startingwithTeachForBulgaria) who pass it to a child that needs it.

So thank you for making the wise choice. The choice of a future that’s definitely worth the shirt.